War I. That’s a long time ago. … It’s not going to hap-pen anymore, folks. … Not with me.”Trump’s assertion about the size of the Navy wasrepeated the next day by Navy Vice Chief of NavalOperations Adm. William F. Moran during testimonybefore the House Armed Services Committee.

“As many of you know, the ongoing demand fornaval forces far exceeds our long-term supply,” Morantold the panel, which has been heavily focused on mili-tary readiness. “And that need continues to grow, withno end in sight. Supply is best summed up in one fact:Your Navy today is the smallest it’s been in 99 years.”Many analysts — including those at the nonpar-tisan Congressional Research Service — believe suchfleet-size comparisons are problematic because they donot take into account ship capabilities or the service’scommitments and requirements.

But, while the comparison itself may be flawed, it
seems to reflect that shipbuilding nonetheless will be
a priority for the new commander in chief as he compiles his first budget blueprint. It is unclear, however,
whether he will be able to get around the mandated
budget caps, which have long been a sore point for
those intent on boosting defense dollars.

Democrats have battled GOP efforts to boost defense
spending, demanding an equal increase for domestic
priorities. Republicans control the House, Senate and
White House, but Senate Democrats hold enough seats
that they can block any efforts to significantly increase
the Pentagon’s budget without a broader, and so far
elusive, deal on federal spending.

“I think it’s going to be extremely messy,” saidAndrew Hunter of the Center for Strategic and Inter-national Studies. “It turns out, the budget caps can’t beamended without 60 votes in the United States Senate.”Hunter, a veteran of both the Pentagon and theHouse Armed Services Committee, said he expects amodest deal that increases both defense and non-defense spending, similar to what Congress hasapproved the last several years. That, however, maynot be enough to pay for items both Trump and hawkson Capitol Hill say they want to buy next year.

Making matters even more interesting this year is
Trump’s pick to head the White House’s Office of
Management Budget (OMB), Mick Mulvaney, a fiscal
hawk who has advocated for cuts to defense spending and railed against the use of war spending for
base-budget items. It would seem the multibillion-dollar “readiness” addendum to this year’s budget,
which almost certainly will be designated “emergency”
to get around the budget caps, would run counter to his
politics in the House.

Mulvaney, a South Carolina Republican congressman who was not confirmed before press time Feb. 15,
already has amassed a number of influential foes on
Capitol Hill, including Senate Armed Services Chairman
John McCain, R-Ariz.

“Oh boy, I’ll tell you that I would remember if Ivoted to cut our defenses, the way that you did, con-gressman,” McCain said during Mulvaney’s Jan. 24confirmation hearing before the Senate HomelandSecurity and Governmental Affairs Committee. “Maybeyou don’t take it with the seriousness that it deserves.”It’s unclear how much influence Mulvaney will haveinside the White House on either the additional fiscal2017 request or the Pentagon’s fiscal 2018 defenseproposal. But his position at the helm of OMB — andhis likely battles with McCain and other congressionaldefense hawks — almost certainly will add heighteneddrama to this year’s budget battle.

Age, Demand, RepairsGround Navy Fighters

Moran confirmed to lawmakers a Defense News report
that 53 percent of the service’s aircraft cannot fly due
to jets exceeding their flying hours, delays to the F- 35
Lightning II joint strike fighter program and a high
demand for maintenance. The numbers are even higher
for F/A- 18 Hornets, about 62 percent of which are out
of service.